Hit it.
Quarterback
Top 10 UFA QBs:
1 - Alex Smith: nearly led 49ers to
Super Bowl in his best season as a pro. (re-signed by 49ers 3/21)
2 - Matt Flynn: shows major upside by
lighting up bad secondaries like Detroit's and New England's. What
happens against good defenses? (signed by Seahawks 3/21)
3 - Chad Henne: did not turn out to be
Miami's savior but there's a lot of places where he could push the
current starter. (signed by Jagwires 3/15)
4 - Kyle Orton: not far off his
career-high numbers in K.C. last year. Can still deliver if he can
get settled in somewhere. (signed by Cowboys 3/15)
5 - Vince Young: two huge tasks for the
inevitable coach who believes he can salvage VY: get his head on
straight, cut down on the interceptions.(Signed by Bills, 5/11)
6 - Jason Campbell: it's never all
going to come together for Campbell, but he's got good tools and
could provide a spark off the bench. (signed by Bears 3/16)
7 - Luke McCown: savvy veteran with
strong arm and excellent mobility.(signed by Saints, June)
8 - David Garrard: with his arm and
mobility, hard to believe he won't get a chance in a training camp
somewhere after Jack del Rio screwed him last September. (signed by Dolphins 3/20)
9 - Byron Leftwich: missed almost all
of 2011 with a broken arm but is an established capable backup. (Re-signed by Steelers 4/30)
10 - Josh Johnson: only 25,
strong-armed, mobile QB in an era that's evolving to favor his style
of play. (Signed by 49ers 3/22)
Sleepers: I
probably should flip Johnson and Young. Johnson's youth is definitely
in his favor, and he's the mobile, strong-armed type of QB that the
league is looking for more and more. I can see Seattle taking a good,
hard look at him, or Philadelphia, to back up Michael Vick, or
Denver, to back up Tim Tebow. Young has always had Pro Bowl
potential, but a youth league head, and his expiration date might be
about up. But picture him in Oakland as a cheap backup to push Carson
Palmer. With little pressure on him at the beginning, maybe he steps
right in at a high level when Palmer busts out of the league in
October. Dennis Dixon's potential may have been drained by a career
full of injuries, but look out if he can stay healthy somewhere.
Wild card:
Arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, how can Peyton Manning
not be at the top of my list? Simply because I have no idea right now
about the condition of his neck. If I could have waited 2-3 more
weeks, I'd likely have Peyton on the top. Or on the doctor's list.
We'll see if Miami or Washington take the plunge.
Tag you're it: Drew
Brees
Out of the running: Kerry
Collins (retired), Jake Delhomme (says he's likely to retire), Jon
Kitna (retired), Chris Redman (re-signed with Falcons)
Voting present: Dennis
Dixon, Kevin O'Connell, Sage Rosenfels (re-signed with Vikings, 3/14), Kellen Clemens (re-signed by Rams), Shaun Hill (re-signed by Lions 3/17),
Billy Volek (cut by Chargers 3/17), Charlie Whitehurst (signed by Chargers 3/20), Josh McCown (re-signed by Bears 3/19), Drew Stanton (signed by Jets 3/17), Brady Quinn (signed by Chiefs 3/18), Caleb
Hanie (signed by Broncos 3/24), Charlie Batch (re-signed by Steelers 4/17), Chris Griesen, A.J. Feeley, J.P. Losman, Mark
Brunell, Jeff Garcia
Gawd no: Derek
Anderson (signed by Panthers 3/20), Kyle Boller, David Carr (re-signed by Giants 3/17), Rex Grossman (re-signed by Redskins 3/21), Dan Orlovsky (signed by Buccaneers 3/15), Curtis Painter (cut by Colts 3/9, signed by Ravens 4/20), Troy Smith (cut by Steelers in late June), Matt Leinart (cut by Texans 3/13, signed by Raiders 5/2). I
doubt any explanations are necessary here.
RamView’s moves: The most
sensible thing for the Rams to do at quarterback is to stay put. Sam
Bradford is still the future of the franchise; Jeff Fisher and Les
Snead came here thinking so. He's one of the biggest reasons they're in St. Louis. Let's get a better system and better
players around Sam instead of doing something radical like starting
over with Robert Griffin III, trading Sam and taking a monster salary
cap hit. Stability also makes eminent sense at second-string. Kellen
Clemens took less than a week here to show he can at least manage the
offense. He's more durable, and better all-around, than A.J. Feeley,
who I'd feel free to let go. Feeley at his best can be a manager of
the offense but gets hurt almost instantly once you get him on the
field. The Rams need better durability than that. Plus, Rams
offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has already worked with
Clemens and likes him. There are many QBs out there better than
Clemens, but Bradford doesn't need to be pushed; he needs a vet
who'll have his back. I prefer to keep 3 QBs on the roster - the Rams
did go through four last season - but cannot justify spending any
draft pick on a backup QB given all the Rams' needs. The Rams can
keep Tom Brandstater pretty cheaply, and he's got a decided
experience advantage over any rookie you'd bring in. I'd keep him,
and for camp competition, bring in a rookie free agent along the
lines of G.J. Kinne (Tulsa) or Bo Levi Mitchell (E. Washington).
Shoot the moon: Between
Steve McNair and Vince Young, Fisher's almost always had a mobile QB
on his roster. That's not to say he was uncomfortable with pure
dropback guys like Kerry Collins. But, if things fall through with
Clemens, I can see the Rams going after someone like Luke McCown,
who's provided a spark off the bench in several different places. I
can't see the Rams drafting a QB, even with a late pick, but if
someone like Austin Davis or Russell Wilson becomes a ridiculous
value, I'd have a hard time complaining.
Prediction: Clemens
puts a line out in the market, doesn't get many hits and stays with
the good situation he should have here in St. Louis. The Rams stay
with Brandstater as #3. Tweaking things at QB is just about the least
of their many worries.
-$-
Free agent list from Pro Football
Weekly, with cross-checking on Rotoworld and scouting assistance from
SBNation and ProFootballReference.
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